Keys
by SayaYamamoto
Summary: A story where keys to fate and destiny are revealed.
1. Who is she?

Sesshomaru had made sure he was alone at the cliff, he left Rin with Jaken and Ah-Un at the camp. There was no youkai presence and the nearest living humans knew better than to come here.

He looked down the cliff, relaxing a bit while he watched the big river flowing beneath him.

Suddenly he turned. 'What...?'

A person stood beside a tree and watched him silently, he suddenly had sensed her presence. He directly knew she was female. But being mostly covered by shadows and being favored by the wind coming from behind him he couldn't tell if she was human or youkai.

"Come out." he demanded.

A small chuckle. "You demand me to come out, my lord. But I do not wish to do so yet." her voice being clear and pure.

He growled lowly. "Now."  
"No." the amusement in her voice stayed. "I won't, Lord Sesshomaru."

His growling became louder and more menacing. A few night birds flew away from his sour getting aura. "I demand you to come out NOW!" he hissed.

"Looks like you're going to bite me if I don't."

He still was growling.

"I take that as a yes from you." She stepped out of the shadows and the clear moonlight shone down her figure. She was wearing a dark blue hakama and a black kimono top, which indicated for she being able to fight properly. Her hair was let down momentarily, her long dark locks curling down her back til her hips. Then to his surprise she bowed before him. Sesshomaru's growling stopped as her scent tickled his nose.

_'No human? But no youkai either... What is she?'_

"I'm sorry for teasing you, Lord Sesshomaru. I did not want to anger your grace." she politely stated when she raised herself from her deep bow. The amusement in her voice had disappeared and had left a respectful tone.

"Tell me your name and why you are in my territory, woman."

"My name is Sayara. I was traveling through your lands with no harm indicated."

He looked at her and wondered why she suddenly became so polite.

_'Maybe she deceives me? No, I can tell from her smell that she's serious.'_

Sayara looked at Sesshomaru, careful not to let her smell or motions give her real intentions away.

_'So he does not remember me? Interesting.'_

Her polite attire had definitely irritated him, he stopped growling. Sayara mentally smiled. Her seemingly ever-changing personality had irritated others before. And he maybe still thought about where she came from and why could not detect her before she let him.

"Hn. How do you know of this Sesshomaru?"  
She slightly bowed and a small smile conquered her face, but she did not laugh at him, her smile was still impressively polite.

"You are widely known, my Lord. The great Lord of the West, Lord Sesshomaru. I have heard this name more often than the names of the other royal lords. I have heard about your travels, your strength in battles."

Sesshomaru smiled in his mind that she was flattering him, but then froze. "And I also heard about your half-brother, the hanyou called Inuyasha."

Sayara had seen and expected the small movement in his jaw which indicated what his thoughts were.

Sesshomaru noticed that _she_ had noticed his missing left arm. She seemed to have heard about his failure fighting his brother and gaining the Tetusaiga. He was going to turn around and go, but couldn't. Her smell was still in his nose and he still did not know what she was, let alone why she had watched him.

Suddenly a shadow was cast over them when a big form flew over Sesshomaru and Sayara. It was a big black creature and seemed like a cat with big wings. He could sense its impressive strength while it landed behind her, it would take a while to defeat it but he was sure of his victory. His hand moved to his sword when she walked towards it.

The beast hissed as she came closer. Sesshomaru wondered if she wanted to fight it, she had no weapon at her side though. Then he saw how the big creature bowed his head towards Sayara and she petted its head without saying anything.

He stepped closer without drawing his sword. 'How did she make this creature bow to her?'

It was just one of a few mysteries around her.

"Among humans, you are a legend." she did not look at Sesshomaru as he came near. "How did you find me?" she asked the creature to Sesshomaru's surprise.

_'As if this creature would talk to her.' _he nearly snorted but froze when the 'creature' stood and suddenly changed to a human male form, kneeling in front of her.

"I'm sorry for hissing at you. Forgive me." 'he' said with a low vibrating voice, unfitting to his – to Sesshomaru awful, to others beautiful – appearance.

"Stand tall, it's forgiven." she claimed with a voice that was new to Sesshomaru. A voice demanding respect, a voice of a powerful Lady.

The creature in its human form stood tall, his long black hair falling down his back. "My name is Kuroshi."

She nodded and Sesshomaru took in how she stood, tall and proud. It was telling about her rank and power.

"I am called Sayara."

"Lady Sayara." Kuroshi bowed again towards her.

"I wanted to ask you something." Sesshomaru intervened.

Sayara turned to look at him. "Then you might ask, Lord Sesshomaru."

"What are you?"

She raised one of her brows and before she could answer Kuroshi interrupted.

"That was very impolite towards Lady Sayara, dog."

"I noticed it, Kuroshi." she looked at him and Kuroshi took a step backwards, bowing.

"You asked about me being human or youkai, Lord Sesshomaru, right? I am neither and I am no hanyou. I'm sorry but I can't tell you about it."

"Can't tell me? Bound by an oath?"  
"That too. But it also won't be in your best interests to tell it now, it's a very long story and not one to be told in the open." she nodded slightly.

He nodded back at her, understanding her reasoning. He wouldn't ask for further information now.

"Please accept me as your servant. I would be honored to work under you." Kuroshi knelt again, his face on the earth, his low voice barely audible.

"Stand up, Kuroshi. I will regard your offer."

Sesshomaru wondered if Kuroshi knew something about her he did not. He seemed to be so submissive like his kind would never act.

Kuroshi stood up. "Thank you for your kindness, Lady Sayara." he murmured.

She smiled. "Don't mention it."

Sesshomaru was surprised at every turn her character took. Polite and submissive, proud and superior, kind and casual. She captured his interest, not only because of her unknown nature, but of her utter _differentness_ and _contradictness_.

The day neared its end, the sun slowly set down.

"You might want to return to your pack, Lord Sesshomaru. Your human ward is afraid of the dark, isn't she? And neither the toad nor the dragon can give her the same comfort that your simple presence does."

He glanced at her.

She smiled and nodded. "Do not worry, we shall meet again properly."

"Hn." Sesshomaru turned and walked away, back to his pack.

Inuyasha took Kagome on his back as he leaped up the stairs towards the meadow where the well rested. She had just said goodbye to the others and now wanted to use the well to get back home. Inuyasha weirdly had been alright with Kagome's request. Unknown to the others, he had sensed Kagome being homesick. And Kagome's sadness was his. So he had agreed to a small break, Kagome going to her time, her family and the others resting at Kaede's.

He reached the meadow within seconds, the sun had just set down and the meadow was filled with shadows, so he wasn't sure at first. But then a wind gust blew a scent to his nose, definitely female, but neither human nor youkai nor hanyou.

"Kagome, get down." he whispered.

"Huh? What is it?" she whispered back.

"Something or someone is there."

"I can hear you~" a female voice sang from near the well. "You don't have to whisper~"

Inuyasha crouched down and pulled Kagome behind him, growling lowly.

The female chuckled and then laughed. "You're quite like your brother, Inuyasha."  
Inuyasha froze.

Kagome's eyes widened slowly. "Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru. He growled at me first, just like you."

"What do you want and who are you?!" Inuyasha said, still growling.

She chuckled and then a fire was lit beside the well. A big flame within her hand illuminated the clearing, making her completely visible to Inuyasha and Kagome.

"I am called Sayara and I only want to speak to your female companion."

"...!" Kagome's breath caught in her throat as something clicked within her mind.

"As if-"

"Let her, Inuyasha." Kagome interrupted his answer. "Sayara won't harm me."

"Whut?!"

Kagome walked towards Sayara without turning back. "Kagome! You don't know her!" Inuyasha tried to pull her back.

"I _do_ know her, Inuyasha. Now let me go."

_v*v_

A/N: I do not own Inuyasha. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.


	2. Duty

_v*v_

„Huh?"Inuyasha tried to understand what Kagome just told him. "But... how would you know her?"  
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Doesn't matter."

Then she walked further towards Sayara and before Inuyasha was able to stop her, reached the other woman. To his surprise Kagome suddenly smiled and embraced her.

"What are you doing here, Sayara-san? Or better _now_?"

"There are certain things to clarify. And certain persons to meet."

Kagome slowly nodded. "I see. I just wanted to return home, but if you're here and now..."

"Go home, Kagome. You miss them, don't you?" Sayara smiled at Kagome and went on before she could answer. "Do not worry. I'll still be here and now when you come back."

Inuyasha watched them converse in surprise. Now he had time to smell her closer. Her scent was... different. It was something Inuyasha could not define, he did not _know_. And to his pride, he knew many scents and could define everything by its own scent. But that woman next to Kagome was different. She was... Inuyasha did not know who or what she was.

Then Kagome sighed. "I'll go home then. And you'll..?"

"I'll be here. I'm gonna talk a bit with your friends, maybe play a bit with the fox and converse with the tajiya and the monk. I'm just not sure Inuyasha will trust me."

Kagome shrugged, a small smile gracing her lips. "We'll see." Then she looked at the well, yearning.

Sayara encouraged her with a small push towards it, whispering something into Kagome's ear, so even Inuyasha's sensitive ears could not catch it. "I'll be watching over, don't worry."

"Good." she let out a relieved sigh. "Inuyasha?"

"What is it?" he huffed out, slowly coming closer to the well, eying Sayara.

"I'll be going now. I'm gonna be back the day after tomorrow about sunrise."

"Keh. If you say so."

Kagome smiled at him and his heart sped up. Then she hugged Sayara once more and jumped into the well, disappearing in a flash of blue light.

-..v..-

"..."

"I'm sorry if I have upset you, Inuyasha."

"Don't talk so lordly. We're simple people."

"Okay. Back to Kaede's?" she said casually, after shrugging slightly.

"Keh. I'll have to explain the whole shit-"  
"Nah." she shook her head as they went towards the stairs. "I'll do that."

"..Keh, then do that."

She smiled slightly, but it was more of a smirk than the gentle smile from before.  
He looked at her, a bit pissed, but also curious. "What are you anyway?"

"I'm an exception." Sayara simply answered, throwing a mischievous smirk at Inuyasha. "The explicit version would take quite a while. So I'll only explain it once, and then to your whole group."

Inuyasha huffed again, not satisfied one bit.

They entered the hut, Inuyasha a thoughtful expression on his face and his hanyou ears pulled back, Sayara behind him, a small smile gracing her inhuman features. Because now Inuyasha noticed it, the too pure skin, the silver eyes and slight fangs.

"That's Sayara. She's a friend." he only said, pointing one claw at her, then plopping down onto the floor.

"Sayara-san. Nice to meet you." Miroku raised himself and bowed slightly. "My name is Miroku and these are Sango and Shippo."

"Thank you, it is very nice to meet you all. And nice to see you again, Kaede-san."  
"The pleasure is mine, Sayara-san. Especially because I thought I might not meet you again this life-time." the old miko answered, smiling at her.

Sayara smiled and sat down next to Sango at the fire.

After a short while, Shippo scrambled over to her from Miroku, looking at her face. "Your eyes are silver, aren't they?" he asked curiously.

"Yes." she smiled at him, a bit mischief hidden behind that smile.

"Silver eyes? I'm sorry, if I'm invading a certain private space, but I never heard of any youkai with silver eyes and your outer appearance."

"And you don't smell like youkai." Shippo added.

"Because I'm not."

Inuyasha turned towards the group and the fire. "So?"

"So what, Inuyasha?" Sango asked him.

"I want to hear the long version." he said, glaring at Sayara.

Sayara let out a short laugh. "Is that so?"

"Keh."

"I see. Then I will tell you."

Shippo looked at her more closely, shifting closer until he nearly sat on her lap. She smirked and put him there and he stayed, leaning into her and relaxing.

"The short version: I am an exception."

"An exception?" Sango looked at her curiously. "Of what?"

"Well, that's it." she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Seemingly of everything."

Miroku and Sango sat closer to her, Inuyasha's ears had sprung forward, now actively listening to what she said. Kaede had come closer as well, though she still stirred a few herbs in boiling water above the fire.

"I'm actually a bit older than I look. Quite a bit. I've seen many ages pass, seen many people born and die. I'm the last of an ancient race, a bit similar to youkai, but more and different powers. I have different abilities, ranging from fighting and healing to second sight and special travel skills."  
She paused and Miroku smiled sadly. "I'm sorry you lost all your relatives, Sayara-san."

"Oh no. They were punished by the gods, they did wrong and received what they deserved. Simple as that. The only ones left were me and my grandmother. She died because of age later on, I think a bit more than two millenniums after everyone was gone. I learned very much from her, it was because of her that I wasn't doing wrong and did not have to be punished."

"I see." Sango slowly nodded. "So you are the last of a very strong and ancient race?"

"Yes."

"Keh." Inuyasha let out a huge breath. "I don't quite believe that story."

"Really?" Sayara looked at him, not smiling, but thinking.  
"Yeah."

"How can I prove it to you?"

"Dunno."  
"Hm... I will think of something. But there are further things I will need to explain." She tool a breath. "I cannot do things like you do. I am not allowed to actively change things or help others to reach certain goals. I inherited my grandma's power and intelligence, the gods say that it's too much to be used. I can help to bend certain things for destinies to be fulfilled but can do nothing more. I'm acting out on the god's will. Well... not as much as the god's will but the will of fate and destiny."

The others listened carefully.

"Has Kagome explained how she fell into the well the first time?"

"She once told us, but I don't quite remember it." Sango answered after looking at her comrades.

"Her cat had went into the well house, her brother was too scared to go in, so she did. Coincidence? Not really. I lured the cat into the well house. Things called coincidences are sometimes my doing or consequences of what happened before, where I helped to bend things. Inuyasha might not be born today if I had not helped the meeting of his parents."

"That's you?" Shippo asked, wide-eyed.

"Most things are really coincidences. Only with certain things I have to act."

"But such good things happened because of you!" Sango exclaimed, seeing her neutral and a bit sad expression.

"Most are sad though." Sayara added, a bit absentminded. "I have to arrange battles, so that the one who'd easily win will die." She turned to Inuyasha. "I'm sorry about your father. Let me tell you that he would have won. But it wasn't his destiny to, so I needed to interfere."

"What?" Inuyasha sat there, dog ears hanging down. "He would have won?"

"Surely."

"Why then?"

"I cannot tell you, I'm sorry. It's fate." she shrugged, smiling melancholy.

He looked away.

"The same with you all. Shippo, your parents death. Sango, your whole village. Miroku, your grandfather and the curse. I'm sorry you all."

"But why we?" Sango asked her, hurt plainly visible on all their faces.

"For the greater sake. You would not have found together like you did without those scars in your hearts and pasts."

"And the greater sake is?" Inuyasha looked at Sayara, sharply, a powerful glance.

"Defeating Naraku. You had to go through hardships and will continue to go through hardships, to get stronger and grow together and to accomplish other certain things. Otherwise, the world would come to an end through Naraku."

Silence stretched for a few minutes, then suddenly a raspy voice broke through.

"And there was no way to hinder the actual existence of Naraku?" Kaede asked. "My sister would not have needed to die, all the sacrifices would not have been needed. Kagome could have stayed in her own time, everyone would have lived a normal life. Why not erase the problem before it arises?"

Sayara clenched her yes shut and slowly shook her head. "It... it's not the fate of the world. I am sorry that I cannot explain it properly. It is not that you could not have seen what would become of Naraku or his human origin Onigumo. But... it needed to be this way, it needs to be this way. I am terribly sorry for all the pain caused."

Sango looked at her hands, Miroku at the ceiling, Inuyasha fingered at the sleeves of the fire-rat robe, Kaede still stirred the boiling water and Shippo snuggled into Sayara, searching for warmth and reassurance normally given by Kagome.

Slowly, they lied down around the fire and Inuyasha went outside still agitated about what he had heard. Shippo had chosen a place right beside Sayara, still searching for comfort.

Then, just before they went to sleep, a sudden thought struck all their minds, except for Sayara.

_Does Kagome know all that?_

-.v.v.v.-

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the mentioned characters except for Sayara.

Please review!


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